Fernando Mendoza’s first NFL start comes against the league’s stingiest defense by yards allowed. The Raiders traded Kirk Cousins to Minnesota for a 2027 third-round pick this week, handing the offense to the No. 1 overall pick just as the defending Super Bowl champions come to Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas enters Sunday at 4–5 after a 38–17 loss to San Francisco in which it turned the ball over five times after halftime and rushed for 24 yards. Seattle is 5–4 after holding Arizona to three points. The Seahawks have quarterback questions of their own: Sam Darnold is out, and Drew Lock is set to start despite being limited in practice all week.
That gives the Raiders a real opening. The question is whether they can put Mendoza in manageable situations long enough to take advantage of it.
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Raiders vs. Seahawks Game Time, TV Channel and Location
The Raiders’ broadcast guide lists kickoff for Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 1:05 p.m. Pacific and 4:05 p.m. Eastern at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. CBS has the game, with Paramount+ carrying the local CBS feed in eligible markets. Raiders radio coverage is on KOMP 92.3 FM and Raider Nation Radio 920 AM. NFL Week 10
For fans coming in from Seattle or Southern California, the Allegiant Stadium visitor guide identifies the Hacienda Bridge as the pedestrian route from the Strip on game day. Mandalay Bay and Luxor sit on the Strip side of that route, making a walk across the bridge an option for fans staying nearby.
Fernando Mendoza’s First Start Comes Against a Defense Built to Test Him
In the Raiders’ announcement naming Mendoza the starter, the team noted that his only regular-season action came against New England. He went 6-of-8 for 48 yards in relief. Sunday is a different assignment: he’ll have to run the offense from the opening snap against a defense that has allowed 244.2 yards and 18 points per game.
Klint Kubiak helped Seattle win the Super Bowl as its offensive coordinator last season. He knows Mike Macdonald’s team, but that familiarity only goes so far once the ball is snapped. Seattle can make a coverage look open before the snap and close the window by the time Mendoza hits the top of his drop. The harder Las Vegas makes him work for his first few completions, the easier it becomes for Seattle to dictate the afternoon.
The early script should give Mendoza throws he can make on time: Bowers underneath, a back in the flat, or a quick completion outside if the corner gives him room. A couple of productive first downs would do more for his debut than an early deep shot that leaves him facing third-and-long.
Brock Bowers Is the Best Starting Point, but the Run Game Has to Help
Bowers caught seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown against San Francisco. The official Week 9 box score also shows why the Raiders couldn’t build on that production: Las Vegas managed 1.6 yards per carry, and Ashton Jeanty’s five receptions went for minus-five yards. Throwing short only helps when there’s room to turn upfield.
There’s a better example in RMR’s recap of the Jets win, where Mike Washington Jr. handled 25 carries and Jeanty added 64 yards as a receiver. That split gave Las Vegas two useful ways to involve its backs. Against Seattle, moving Bowers around and keeping Michael Mayer involved could give Mendoza an outlet without asking Jeanty to beat a defender in the backfield just to get back to the line.
The matchup favors Seattle here. The Raiders’ Week 10 statistical comparison has Las Vegas averaging 71.3 rushing yards per game and Seattle allowing 89.1. The Raiders can live without a 100-yard rusher. They’ll have a much harder time if every handoff leaves Mendoza facing another obvious passing down.
Maxx Crosby Has an Opening Against Seattle’s Injured Offensive Line
The Seahawks’ Friday injury report ruled out left tackle Charles Cross and guard Quenton Nelson alongside Darnold. Lock practiced on a limited basis with right elbow and oblique injuries but received no game designation. Seattle expects him to start. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams is also out, while receiver Rashid Shaheed and outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu are set to return. Las Vegas listed defensive tackle Thomas Booker and receiver Dont’e Thornton as questionable.
That’s an opportunity for Maxx Crosby and the Raiders’ front. It only matters if Las Vegas stops the run well enough to get after Lock on third down. The Raiders gave up 190 rushing yards to the 49ers and enter Week 10 allowing a league-worst 151.2 per game. Seattle can take pressure off its quarterback by running at a defense that hasn’t shown it can force opponents out of that plan.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Can Make Seattle’s Quarterback Change Less Important
In Seattle’s coverage of Smith-Njigba’s 1,000-yard milestone, the team credited him with seven catches for 51 yards in the 17–3 win over Arizona. Tight end AJ Barner handled the scoring, rushing for one touchdown and catching another from Lock. Seattle protected the ball and let its defense control the game.
Las Vegas has to take away the easy completions that let Lock play the same kind of game. That means knowing where Smith-Njigba is on third down, tackling underneath and keeping enough depth to account for Shaheed’s speed. If Seattle can turn a five-yard throw into a first down, the injuries up front become less of an advantage for Crosby.
Betting Takeaways: Seattle Favored by 6.5, Total at 40.5
A Saturday odds comparison showed DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM listing Seattle as a 6.5-point favorite with a total of 40.5. The books agreed on the spread and total in that snapshot, though their prices differed.
The total makes sense given the matchup: a rookie making his first start against Seattle’s defense and a backup quarterback playing behind an injured line. The biggest threat to that low-scoring setup is field position. A turnover on either side can put points on the board without asking either offense to drive the length of the field.
RMR Prediction: Seahawks 24, Raiders 27
Mendoza should have chances to move the ball through Bowers and Mayer, and Seattle’s injuries up front give the Raiders a way to make this uncomfortable for Lock. I’m taking Raiders ecause its offense fhas been the most dependable unit in this matchup, and Las Vegas has yet to show it can stop the run for four quarters.
The upset path is there. Get Mendoza to the fourth quarter within one score, keep the ball out of Seattle’s hands on short fields, and make Lock convert a long third down with Crosby coming off the edge. That’s the kind of game the Raiders can win at home.
Drop your score prediction on Respect My Region’s Instagram and tell us what you want to see from Mendoza in his first start.
